Opera Software, the world leader in Web browser technologies, today released the latest version of its acclaimed Opera Mobile browser for Symbian Series 60 (S60). Opera 8.5 for S60 boasts high speed, Opera's wide range of features and a new password manager for automatic log-in to sites. For the first time, the browser also features Opera's advanced zoom-on-page functionality which means that users can zoom in or out to view images and text.

Opera 8.5 for S60 also includes customizable keypad shortcuts, enhanced image handling and more extensive language support. The new languages include Hong Kong Chinese, Indonesian, Russian and Swedish. Series 60 users will benefit from Opera's unique Small-Screen Rendering (SSR) technology, which dynamically reformats full Web pages for mobile devices to give the best possible user-experience. SSR keeps as much of the original page design and layout as possible while gently adapting the page to fit the width of the screen, eliminating the need to scroll around horizontally.

"Our predicted shift in browsing habits is finally coming true. More and more people are accessing the Internet from other devices, including mobile phones, rather than just their computers," says Jon S. von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software. "Web browsing has become a major selling point for new handsets, and with the latest release of Opera 8.5 for S60 we are continuing our legacy of innovation and re-affirming our position as the leading browser vendor across platforms and devices."

For handset manufacturers and operators, Opera 8.5's enhanced customization options allow for seamless phone integration. It also offers the ability to offer subscribers advanced mobile services and an unparalleled mobile Internet experience on the wide range of mobile phones based on Symbian S60.

Opera's Web browser has been shipping on various Nokia and other S60 handsets since 2003, and will continue to be available on future models.